Stop Making Excuses

“Knowing what you know now, if you could go back in time, how would your life be different?” This is a question that most adults have been asked. Usually, we sidestep the question with a cliché answer like “nothing because I wouldn’t be who I am today without going through what I went through.” Maybe that’s true, but I highly doubt it. I honestly doubt that we believe today, we are the best person we could possibly be. Why do we always try to find a way around looking deeper into ourselves? Why do we make excuses and lie to the only person that matters, ourselves?

I used to be the king of excuses; I can’t eat healthy because I’m not exercising. I can’t get an education because I don’t have time. I can’t go on that vacation because I don’t have the money. I had all these grandiose ideas, but no actual drive or dedication to giving these ideas life. It was easier to fantasize about a different life, and then make excuses about why I can’t do them. If I can justify why I’m not living the life that I want, then I don’t have to face the fact that I am where I am because of my choices and actions.

When I began to take control of my life, I had to start facing what I’d been running from for so many years. I’ve always been exceptionally good at anything I tried, but the second that it got hard, or there was an obstacle I quit. For example when I was young I used to race BMX bikes, and I was superb. I saved for a year for the bike that I wanted, and I finally had enough to buy it. I was ecstatic because now I could take my racing to the next level. Not long after my bike was stolen. I could have continued racing with the old bike that I had, and saved money again for a new bike, but instead I quit racing altogether.

My life is littered with similar examples, every time I hit a wall I gave up and changed directions completely. The problem with this is, there are only so many walls that you can hit and turn directions before you start bumping into the past endeavors and old problems.

We all have problems, every one of your heroes has had obstacles that they’ve had to overcome, hardships they’ve had to endure. The difference between successful people and the people who are not is their ability or lack of it to face their pain and tribulations. We all will face our grief, either head on and deal with it at the moment, or we will run from it, but it will catch up eventually in the form of consequence. We can be whatever we want to be, but it starts in our mind. We have to face our fears, face our failures and grow from them.

Where you are in life is a direction reflection of who you are, because you are the reason you are where you are. You are the only person that can change your situation; you are the only person that can change your life. But your life will not change until you do. You have to change the way you look at your life and see yourself. No more excuses, no more side stepping answers you need to ask yourself. Today is the day you take control of your life, your emotions, your failures. Learn from them, grow from them. If you do this, I promise you can have anything and everything this life has to offer.